The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
by APureHeart
Summary: Written for the D&E Holiday Exchange on LJ. Prompt written by jaybunzy0. Elena's lost the meaning of Christmas. She refuses to celebrate because of everyone she's lost... including herself. But through a series of adventures, Damon helps her remember exactly why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.


**The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year**

* * *

**Written for the D&E Holiday Exchange on LJ. Prompt by jaybunzy0. **

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_"The worst feeling is the moment when you realize that you've lost yourself."_

- Elena Gilbert.

* * *

Thick white snowflakes were floating through the air, gracefully falling on to the snow covered ground. The soft voices of the carol singers were echoing through the streets and bringing love and joy into the houses of Mystic Falls. Colourful lights lightened up the whole neighbourhood while kids ran around building snowmen and having snow fights. Their laughter filled the air with a beautiful sound of happiness, just as if they had no care in the world.  
A small tear escaped Elena eyes and slowly glided down her cheek while she sat on the window bench in her room, watching the little children being called to lunch by their mothers.

She lent her head against the window, closed her eyes and thought about all the joy the Christmas holiday used to bring her when she was a child. All the presents she and Jeremy would get, the turkey meal, and how her dad would sit down with her and her brother in front of the crackling fire and tell them stories; stories about princesses and princes, dragons and dwarfs. She remembered how they would quietly listen to their father's soothing voice, not once interrupting him, completely absorbed and lost in his story. Her aunt Jenna and her grandparents – all would be there to celebrate with them on that one special day of the year. Then as she grew older, Elena would accompany her mother to the children's hospital. Together they would bring gifts and spend a few hours playing along with them, making them forget their worries. Even if just for a short amount of time, their faces would light up, the goofiest of smiles sneaking their way on to the lips of the poorly children. A quiet sob erupted from her body as she thought about how much it meant to her mother to help these children, to make them happy, and how since her death not once had Elena found the courage to do it again. It just wasn't the same without her mom by her side.

But all of that was gone now. They were all gone.

In the past two years of her life, so much had changed. People had died, be it because of a stupid accident or the supernatural. All these people that she had loved and had wanted to protect were gone, and they would never come back again. And sometimes, when silence filled the air and she was sitting all by herself, thinking, she knew that it was her fault. That if it weren't for her, they might still be alive and breathing, happy and smiling. And in moments like that, she couldn't help but think about the "What if's…" and the "Should have's…" – there were too many in her life to count. Too many things that she now wished had never happened, things she wished she had never done or said, but it was too late now. It had happened. All those people were dead and there wasn't a thing that she could do about it. She knew that, but that didn't mean she was okay with it. That she didn't feel guilty.

She had been confronted with the darkest of demons and the brightest of angels. She had become someone she never wanted to be and betrayed those who meant the most to her. Somewhere in between trying to be the person everyone expected her to be and wanting to keep everyone around her safe, she had stopped being Elena Gilbert - the good girl, the girl next door, the one that everybody wanted to have for a daughter or a friend.

Elena Gilbert had found herself stuck in between two worlds – the one of the living and the one of the dead. The second her heart had stopped beating and the blood had stopped rushing through her veins, she had got lost in the battle against herself. She had changed with the things that had happened around her. Apart from the death, the pain and the dark, Elena had no idea who she was anymore… andthat scared her more than anything else.

A small knock on the door made Elena wince, her thoughts and gaze returned back to her room, but she still didn't move a muscle. Instead, she just sat there and stared into nothingness, watching the streets of Mystic Falls disappear under a thick blanket of snow.

"Elena? Are you in here?" Jeremy popped his head into the room, his gaze landing on his sister,sitting by the window, motionless.

"Elena…" he sighed, opening the door completely and slowly moving further into her room. "You can't keep on going like this. We're all worried about you. I am worried about you. Please, I can't loose my sister too."

Taking in her brother's words, Elena closed her eyes, silent tears streaming down her face as she slowly breathed in and out. But still she remained motionless, her gaze fixated on the snow on the streets outside her window.

Jeremy was the only family she had left – her brother, her rock - the only thing that was keeping her together, and she couldn't risk losing that, too.

After a few seconds of silence, she slowly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tears as she took in his pleading face. In that moment, she wanted to say something to him so badly, but not a single word wanted to leave her mouth. She didn't know what to say. No words would ever make up for the fact that everyone else was gone and that they would never come back again.

"Come on, sis," Jeremy sat down before her, his eyes holding hers in a pleading look. "It's Christmas Eve tonight. All our friends are coming over to celebrate it with us. Caroline, Bonnie, Damon, Stefan, Matt, Tyler, April – everyone is going to be there."

He leaned forward and presseda small kiss on her forehead. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too, Jer," Elena choked out, her face stained with tears.

Jeremy's eyes softened before he slowly turned around and walked out of her room, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more.

Christmas Eve…

Elena sighed. This was supposed to be the most beautiful time of the year, but lately she seemed to be the only one who couldn't and didn't feel the spark of Christmas. With all the things that were happening around her - with the things that had happened - she simply couldn't feel the joy of this colourful holiday.

Being a vampire had changed everything. It certainly had changed her and the way that people thought about her.

Without thinking any further, she got up from the window bench, wiped the dried tears from her face and grabbed her jacket to go out. She was sick of this, of all the thinking and guilt that was slowly eating her up inside. She needed to get out of her room. At least for a little while.

"And where exactly do you think you're going, princess?" His voice sounded from behind her as she burst through the front door.

Elena flew around, holding her hand up against her chest in shock. "I-I just wanted... Wait, what are you doing here?"

Damon shrugged nonchalantly, taking a few steps closer to her. "Checking up on you."

"I don't need checking up on, Damon," Elena rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest to protect herself from the cold.

"Well Baby Gilbert seems to think differently, otherwise he wouldn't have called me," Damon replied, coming to a halt before her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "Jeremy called you?"

"You don't seem to have a problem with your ears, I see," Damon grinned goofily. "I'm glad."

"Seriously?" Elena shook her head, a little chuckle escaping her lips. "Why are you really here, Damon?"

"You're laughing. That's something I haven't seen in a while."

"Damon," she sighed.

"Your brother is just worried about you, Elena. We all are," he gave her a sad smile.

"Well you don't need to be. I'm fine."

Now it was Damon's turn to roll his eyes at her – who was she trying to fool? She was far from fine and she knew it. Everybody knew it. Elena hadn't been herself for weeks. Ever since she had killed her first victim as a vampire, sucked all life out of him, she was someone else. Damon looked at her and all he could see was a shell of the girl he loved - her guilt was eating her up from the inside, all the loses she had endured in the past two years of her were coming back to her now and she didn't seem able to handle it anymore. The pain was tearing her apart, threatening a break down at any minute.

But he knew that deep down his Elena still existed. She was just lost. And that day, he was determined to bring her back. He was determined to show Elena her way back home and to remind her of all the reasons why Christmas would always be a reason to smile.

"Come on," Damon tugged at her arm, wanting her to follow him. "I want to show you something."

"Damon..." Elena said in a warning tone.

"Oh don't Damon me!" He turned around to her, his eyes holding hers before he asked, slowly with certain intensity in his voice. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Good," he nodded his head at her. "Now follow me before I drag you into the car myself."

* * *

"Where are you taking me, Damon?" Elena pleaded for the hundredth time the morning after asthey still hadn't arrived at their destination. "Please, tell me."

He grinned, not taking his eyes from the road that was extending itself before them. "Now now princess, where would be the fun in that?"

"Well I would know where the hell we're going for one," Elena exclaimed, her gaze fixed on the blue-eyed vampire sitting beside her.

He snuck a glance at her, chuckling. "And I'm repeating myself, where would be the fun in that?"

"You're an ass, Salvatore," she mumbled quietly to herself, crossing her arms before her chest and moving her head so that she could look out of the window to her right.

"And yet you still came with me."

"It's not like you gave me a choice," he heard her groaning, making him shake his head in amusement.

Holding her head high while looking out of the window to admire the beautiful landscape they were passing, Elena tried to ignore Damon's amusement as best as she could. He clearly liked having the upper hand here and that he was the one able to pull the strings for once. What she still didn't know though was where he taking her and why. It was honestly frustrating her more than she thought possible.

"Oh come on, sugarplum! Stop pouting, will you?" his voice sounded from beside her, forcing her to lift her head to face him.

"Sugarplum? Really?" Elena raised her eyebrows. "Are you taking me back to the 80's or what?"

"Well I know for a fact that you'd have enjoyed them," Damon let out a hard laugh. "I certainly did."

She chuckled. "Oh, I would?"

"Of course! The 80's had just about everything that was good in the world. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, KISS, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne," he listed. "The shit that you call music today can't even be compared to the musical power of the 80's."

"I never took you for a Kiss sorta guy."

"Well there are a lot of things that you don't know about me, Elena Gilbert," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Oh and let me guess? I'm just about to find them all out on this amazing road trip that you've kidnapped me for."

"Firstly, I didn't kidnap you. You willingly came with me," Elena glared at him, which only caused him to roll his eyes. "Kind of. And secondly, you will just have to wait and see."

She let out a wholehearted laugh, her eyes holding a few sparks of happiness, causing Damon to smile. It was the first time in weeks that he had heard her beautiful laugh - the laugh that he had missed while Elena had locked herself hostage in her room, refusing to let anybody behind the thick walls that she had built up around herself. It was good to hear it again, to see that the old Elena wasn't entirely lost. She had just lost sight of her way for a while, but that didn't mean she couldn't fight her way back. And he would be there to help her, every step of the way.

"What?" she smiled at him. "Why are you staring? Do I have something on my face?"

A goofy grin appeared on his lips before he turned his attention back to the road.

"Nah, everything's fine." He smiled at her. "Perfect actually."

Elena shook her head lightly, a small smile on her lips as she replayed their conversation in her head. She had no idea how Damon did it, but somehow in these past 10 minutes that they had been sitting in the car, driving around Mystic Falls, he had managed to make her smile and forget about everything else for a while. It felt easier to be around him than around anyone else. Maybe it was because she knew that he would never judge her for anything that she had done, that he somehow understood.

If there was one thing that she knew for sure about Damon Salvatore, it was that whatever she might have done, he would never rub it under her nose. He would tell her to suck it up and to not listen to what others had to say about it, that it was her life. Her choices. And that was exactly what she needed – not Stefan or Caroline's moral speeches and how everything was going to be fine again, not Bonnie brooding about how she hated vampires more than anything, not her brother or Matt who had lost so many people already thanks to the undead – she just needed someone who understood.

She needed Damon.

"We're here," his voice startled her our of her thoughts.

"The mall? Damon, what are we doing at the mall?" Elena furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity as he drove into the parking lot of the Mystic Falls Mall.

Damon shrugged. "What does one usually do at the mall at this time of the year?"

"Are you taking me… Christmas shopping?"

"Just you wait and see, princess," he winked, searching for a free space to park his precious car.

"You're so frustrating, you know that right?" she exclaimed. "Why can't you just tell me what we're going to do?"

"But where would be-"

"The fun in that, I know," she cut him off, sighing.

"See that wasn't that difficult," Damon grinned, letting the motor cool down. "Let's go. Time to remind you why you used to love Christmas so much back in the day."

…

"You can't be serious, Damon! I am not getting on there, not in a million years!"

"Oh come on! Don't be a party pooper," he pouted, giving her his best puppy look.

"I am not a party pooper," she snorted, a small smile playing on her lips. "But I'm also not five anymore."

"Oh I can see that, very clearly even," Damon grinned, letting his eyes rummage up and down her body. "No five year old would ever have that bod-"

"Stop, stop, stop! Forget I ever said anything," Elena laughed, shaking her head. "But I'm still not getting on that."

He grinned. "You sure about that?"

"Oh no… Damon, stay away from me. Don't. Seriously I am not doing it."

"Hey Santa!" Damon called out to the old man sitting in his chair, in the middle of the mall, talking to the little kids. "This lady here wants to sit upon your lap."

Elena covered her eyes in embarrassment, chuckling quietly to herself and praying that she was only dreaming and that Damon done what she just witnessed him do. Looking up to the old man who was cleverly disguised as Santa, it seemed like a lifetime ago when she had last gone to the mall around Christmas to sit on Santa's lap to ask him for all the things she wished for. Back in the day, when she and Jeremy were still kids, her parents used to take them every year. It was just one of their many family traditions. While her mother and Aunt Jenna would do the last minute grocery shopping, her dad would wait hours with them in line just so they could talk to Santa for a few minutes.

A small smile crept up on her face as the memories returned to her. Sometimes her childhood seemed like yesterday, though so much had changed since then. Life was no longer carefree and without fear. Every choice, every decision she took had now consequences – she wasn't a child anymore. And sometimes she missed it, she missed not needing to think about anything and to simply take every day as it came.

"Well, why don't you come and tell this old man what your Christmas wishes are, young lady?" Old Santa smiled gently at her.

"You're so dead, Damon," Elena groaned quietly as she walked past him and up to Santa.

"Don't pretend like I'm not already, princess."

Deciding to ignore his last words, Elena rolled her eyes and made her way up to the throne on which Santa was perched. She still couldn't believe she was actually doing this. After all these years, she was back to being the little six year old girl who couldn't wait to sit on Santa's lap and tell him about her year. Now all that was missing was her dad,who would proudly watch her from the bottom of the stairs and embrace her when she stepped down to him again, a huge smile on her face…

"So what brings you back to me after all those years, Elena?" Santa asked as he waited for Elena to sitdown on his lap. "Is there something specific you want for this Christmas?"

_You mean, except for finding out who I really am and to be happy, _Elena thought sarcastically to herself, _nothing, absolutely nothing._

While as a little girl, Elena would have wished for no more than the newest doll or a board game, she now had no idea what she wanted for Christmas, let alone life. The whole magic surrounding Christmas, the love and the spirit it was supposed to bring with it – she just couldn't feel it anymore.

"I just…" Elena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Just make sure that the people I love are happy, please? That Jeremy gets a good life, away from everything. That Caroline and Tyler finally get their happy ending, no more love triangles. That Bonnie finds someone who loves her for who she is. That Matt finally gets the happiness that he seeks. And that Stefan and Damon stop fighting and be brothers again despise everything that has happened. Can you do that?" She shook her head, letting out a half-hearted laugh. "God, this is ridiculous. What am I even doing here? I should probably go, I-"

Santa smiled. "Ssh. Santa is here for everyone, not just the little kids."

Letting out a small laugh, she let her gaze wander over the sea of people that were at the mall doing their last minute Christmas shopping. It was astonishing to see how many people came together for this one time of the year, it never ceased to amaze her – Christmas was something special after all, wasn't it?

"But I asked you what you want, Elena. Not your friends," he looked at her with a gentle look on his face. "What would make you happy?"

Her gaze fell upon Damon, who was watching her with a satisfied grin, a small smile crossing her features before she shyly looked down ather hands. "I don't know."

"I think that deep down you do know, but you just haven't quite admitted it to yourself yet," he replied, noticing her doting look towards Damon. "Merry Christmas, Elena."

"Merry Christmas, Santa."

Elena smiled softly at the disguised man - Santa Claus – before slowly making her way back to Damon. Never in her life would she have dreamt that Damon would take her to the mall to sit on this man's lap. She could imagine him taking her anywhere but here. But what was he trying to prove? Trying to make her feel better about Christmas? About herself? Elena had no idea, but she was determined to figure it out by the end of the day.

"See, that wasn't that bad," he swung an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her lightly.

Elena smiled softly, her thoughts drifting away. "Yeah…"

"Time for our next stop then!"

"Our next stop? What do you mean?" She wiggled his arm off of her, a confused look on her face.

"You didn't really think that I only got you out of the house so you could sit on that old man's lap, did you?"

"Well no, but…"

"Chop chop! Move that pretty little butt of yours," Damon grinned, giving her ass a little slap. "We cannot lose any time."

"Okay, okay," she held her hands up in surrender. "I'm coming. No need to shove."

"But that's the thing, princess," he wiggled with his eyebrows. "I like shoving that ass of yours around. Plus, it's nice to know you're coming when I tell you to."

Elena rolled her eyes, letting out a small chuckle as she pushed him away from her. "Oh shut up."

* * *

"When can I open my eyes again?" Elena whined.

"Soon, princess," he soothed her, leading her further into the room. "Soon."

"Oh Damon, come on. Please, just tell me where you're taking me."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, even though she couldn't see anything. "That eager to find out, huh?"

"Stop teasing me, Damon!"

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that, little Miss Impatient?"

"But where would be the fun in that?" Elena muttered quietly to herself, completely aware to the fact that he could hear her just as clearly.

Damon let out a hard laugh. "Feisty. I like it."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed but couldn't help the constant buzzing that was going through her stomach when she thought about all the possibilities of this. After their first stop that day, thousands of ideas roamed through Elena's head about the next place that he was going to take her to. She may not have wanted to leave with him that morning, she may not have even wanted to be there in that exact moment, but something made her want to stay right there with him, to see what he wanted to show her. Perhaps it was because she just didn't want to disappoint him, like he had planned this all out for nothing. Or maybe she simply wanted to feel this joy a little bit longer. She ached for the feeling of having no worries, nearly as if she was a kid again.

It was as if Damon had turned back time and all the events of the past few months hadn't happened. All the people that they had lost were still alive and she was still Elena Gilbert -the girl everyone knew and loved. Within just a few hours, Damon had made her feel alive again, as if her heart had never stopped beating in the first place.

"Go on," he encouraged her. "You can open them now."

Doing as he said, she carefully opened her eyes, a small smile of excitement already creeping up on her lips. But as soon as she took in the familiar sight before her, her body stiffened and thick tears formed themselves in her eyes. Her lips started trembling, her whole body motionless. All she could do was stare at the small children before her; how their eyes lighted up and big smiles replaced the sad ones on their faces as they discovered her presence. And how they let drop everything that they were doing in that instant and focused only on her, their voices filled with joy and excitement as they all started talking simultaneously.

Out of all the places he could've taken her, he had brought her to the Mystic Falls Children's Hospital – to the little kids that she and her mom used to visit every year on Christmas Eve back when her mother was still alive. Millions of questions ran through her mind, none really making sense, her eyes wandering over the place, searching for the man who had brought her back to this place that was filled with memories of her mom and previous Christmases.

"Damon," she brought her hands to her quivering lips. "How-How did you-?"

"How did I know?" he grinned. "Would you believe me if I said that I was secretly Batman and being a vampire was just my disguise?"

Elena blinked confusedly, lifting her gaze up to look him into his eyes. "W-W-What?"

"Jeremy told me," Damon chuckled softly, placing a hand on her back. "Go, I think you would make some kids very happy if you played with them for a while."

"But what about my…," she murmured quietly, only loud enough for theboth of them to hear. "My bloodlust? What-what if I can't control it and hu-hurt one of them?"

"Elena, look at me," he sighed. "You're not going to hurt these children. You wanna know how I know that? Because I know you. And you might have changed and not know who you are anymore, but deep down, were it matters," he placed his hand on her heart. "You're still the same person, Elena."

"But-"

Damon shook his head. "No buts. No matter how strong your urge for blood is, you would never be able to hurt them. It would kill you. That's just who you are."

Elena gulped, her eyes wandering between the man before her and the little children that were expectantly looking at her with a certain admiration in their eyes. "Do you… Do you really think I can do it?"

"I don't think, 'Lena. I know you can do it. You can do anything."

"And even if-"

"Yes, Elena."

"Okay," she nodded, tearing her eyes away from his and walking towards the kids.

Something in Damon's words had made her believe that he was right. Maybe it was the sincerity in the words which he had spoken or simply the fact that he believed that she could do it. It gave her some kind of reassurance – to know that there was someone who had such great trust in her, who wouldn't doubt her. And Damon had done exactly that. He trusted her enough to not hurt these kids, to hold herself back.

"You wanna pway with meh?" the sweet voice of a toddler, not older than five or six, interrupted her thoughts.

Hesitantly, she threw a glance at Damon behind her. He nodded encouragingly at her, giving her a thumps up. Taking a deep breath, she crouched down to her knees to look at the little boy. He hugged a brown stuffed animal against his tiny chest and dragged a blanket behind him.

She smiled softly at him. "Of course. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Jamie," he mumbled against his teddy bear. "And this is Boo Bear."

"Well it's nice to meet you both. I'm Elena."

The blonde boy nodded eagerly, biting his lip. "Can we pway now?"

Sitting down with her legs crossed, Elena laughed a quiet but heartylaugh. "Sure."

After Jamie had settled down beside her, he stuffed his fluffy bear under his arm and reached for one of the pens that were lying on the rather warm rug that was covering the ground. They both started drawing in silence, colouring in the faces of many Disney figures.

"Ewena?" Jamie's sweet voice interrupted their silence.

"Yes, Jamie?"

"Is that wour boywriend back twhere?"

Elena tilted her head to the side, following the boy's gaze until her eyes met Damon's, who was standing a few metres away from them. Taking in the boy's words, she watched him intensely, a small smile stealing its way ontoher lips.

"He's…" she trailed off, shaking her head lightly to herself. "Damon? You wanna play with us, too?"

"You want me to play with you? Me?" Damon let out a quiet chuckle, but quickly shut up again as he noticed Jamie's pleading look in his direction. Not even he could resist a child's puppy dog eyes. "If you really want me to, then-then I will."

He nodded his head, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes, we want wou to."

"Okay then, buddy."

Damon locked eyes with Elena, who shot him a grateful look and mouthed a small "Thank you" to him as he crouched down beside her. He only shrugged his shoulders, before he turned his attention back to the little boy who had already busied himself by starting to build a tower out of Lego blocks.

Pushing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, Elena couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through her stomach and veins as she watched Damon interact with the young boy. The gentle way in which he talked to Jamie, the spark in his eyes which twinkled whenever Jamie called him – it was like something in him had changed the second he had come in contact with him. Or maybe it had always been there; nobody had just seen it until now. And Elena couldn't help but love this side of Damon.

Despite of all the things that he had done in the past, there was that part of her that held deep feelings for the man beside her. Feelings that she had never experienced before, strange and new, yet exciting feelings that made her heart jump whenever she thought of him. Who would have thought that the guy that everyone had warned her about in the beginning was now the man that seemed to be the only one to make her smile when she felt like crying? The one that she would run to at any second because she knew he would understand? The only person who knew her better than she knew herself. Why was it that everyone thought he was so horrible and yet, she couldn't help but feel this bond between them?

Whenever she fell in the past, he had been the one to remind her to get up again and fight. To stand up for herself and her beliefs. Not once had he let her down or given up on her. It was more than she could expect from anyone. And after all of that, nobody could tell her anymore that the guy before her was a heartless murderer…because Damon Salvatore was anything but a cold monster.

Dismissing every deep thought out of her mind, Elena focused back on the boy before her and let out a soft laugh as his whole tower collapsed into a heap, causing him to groan in frustration and Damon to help him build it up all over again. It may not be the same as it always had been back with her mom Miranda, but maybe it was time for a new tradition. For new adventures.

A brand new start.

* * *

After they had spent a few hours playing with Jamie and the rest of the kids at the Mystic Falls Children's Hospital, Damon had decided to take Elena on one last adventure for Christmas Eve. One that he was sure she'd love. It was nothing special in any sort of way, just a little reminder how beautiful and intimate Christmas was.

"Give me your hand, Elena."

"But I can't see anything! How am I suppose-"

"Elena," Damon interrupted her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it lightly. "Just trust me, okay? You know I won't let anything happen to you, ever."

She slowly nodded her head. "I trust you."

"I know."

Looking back at everything that had happened that day, all the effort that Damon had put into all, Elena felt more trust towards him than she had ever done before. Jeremy had called him; hoping that maybe Damon would find a way to make her smile again, to maybe bring her old self back to the surface. And somehow Damon had managed the impossible – he not only had reminded her of the girl she was back then, but he had also shown her that it was okay to not be that girl anymore. That it was okay to change. Just because she wasn't that girl from next door that everybody knew anymore, that didn't mean she wasn't Elena Gilbert.

She had simply just changed. And yet, deep down, she was still the same person.

A small smile crept upon her face when she felt Damon's hand slowly move in hers as he was leading her along to their last stop for the night. Elena couldn't help but feel thousands of butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Despite of what everyone around them might think they knew about him, they didn't know him the way that she did. This Damon. Her Damon. The one that wasn't just heartless and murderous, a monster, but the one that was vulnerable, filled with love and truly good on the inside. That was the Damon that she had slowly and unconditionally fallen in love with over the past few months.  
Perhaps it was because when she was around him she never needed to pretend and that she could just be herself, knowing that he would never judge her on anything. Perhaps it was simply the fact that no matter what, he had always been there. There hadn't been a moment when she couldn't count on him. He had been her rock in times of need and her light in times of darkness, her hope in times when she had lost all faith in the world. And her way back home whenever she had lost her way.

"Hold on to me, okay?" Damon's voice breathed against her ear.

Wrapping her hands around his waist and tightening her grip, Elena nodded her head against his chest, ready for whatever was about to come. And before she realised what was about to happen, she felt her feet leaving the ground and found herself floating through the cold winter air, Damon's arms steadying her.

"Damon? What is-"

Elena got interrupted as they both landed back on their feet with a thud, a rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. She slowly let go of Damon's waist and lifted her head up, her eyes closed, waiting for him to say something. Her hand still rested in his as he slowly turned her around, positioning himself behind her.

"You can open your eyes now, princess," she heard his angelic voice close to her ear.

Taking a deep breath, Elena hesitantly opened her eyes and was met with a view over the whole town that was draped in snow. She let her gaze wander around her surroundings, noticing that they were on the rooftop of the Mystic Grill – smiling, she turned around and opened her mouth to ask Damon what they were doing, but he interrupted her immediately.

"Just wait a minute and you'll see," Damon smiled softly.

She turned back around in his arms and carefully leaned against his chest, her eyes roaming over the view before her. Suddenly, the whole town lightened up the dark night sky – thousands of Christmas lights started flickering, from white to blue, from blue to red, from red to green. Mystic Falls shined in an astonishing light, leaving Elena in awe. Every single house and building in town was drowned in its own sea of lights, every single one shining in its unique way. Never in her life had Elena seen something as beautiful as this. It was beyond anything that she had come across before.

"Wow, this… this is breathtaking, Damon," she breathed out, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene before her.

Damon chuckled quietly behind her. "I thought you would like it."

Elena whirled around to him, a big smile marking her features as she laid her hands on his chest, her chocolate brown orbs melting into his.

"Like it? I love it, Damon, it's so… so beautiful!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe you went through all this trouble for me today. I just… I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough for all of this."

"It was my pleasure, princess," he whispered, lifting his hand to stroke a piece of hair behind her ear.

"But there has to be a way that I can thank you," she said quietly, hereyes never leaving his.

"Well," a big grin appeared on his lips. "There's one way I could think of…"

Elena slapped his chest, letting out a hard laugh. "Ew, you pervert!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "You wanted to know a good way to thank me… Just putting your possibilities out there, you know."

She shook her head laughing before looking up at him with a serious expression on her face, still resting in his arms. "But seriously, thank you,Damon. This, today, means everything to me. All the trouble you we-"

"Elena, I wanted to do it, okay? There is no need to thank me," Damon smiled softly.

"No, Damon. Please let me say this," she waited for him to nod at her before continuing. "Ever since I became a vampire, things around here… have changed. The way some people look at me or treat me, like I'm about to break every second. But most of all, I have changed. I'm not the Elena you all came to know anymore," she let out a small chuckle, her eyes tearing up. "I woke up every single morning since then with this hole in my heart. Like something big was missing in my life. I just felt lost, you know? Who was I if I wasn't her anymore? I felt like all those people… My parents, John and Isobel… And Alaric," a silent tear slipped down her cheek. "Had died for nothing, like I had disappointed them."

Damon shook his head furiously, taking her head in both of his hands and looking at her intensely. "No, Elena, listen to me. You could have never disappointed them, you hear me? They all loved you."

"Just let me finish what I was about to say, Damon," Elena smiled softly, laying her hands above his and stroking them lightly with the pad of her thumb. "I know that now, I do. Christmas… There was no spark, no light for me anymore. It was like my human self had taken every joy that I ever had in life with me. It felt as if I could never be found again. There was just this hole and nothing seemed to be able to fill it again. But you…" Damon looked at her confused. "Somehow you did."

He choked. "What are you saying, Elena?"

"I'm saying that," she breathed out. "You found me when I thought I was already lost. You showed me how much Christmas used to mean to me and why, and you understood. You looked at me the same way you did when I was still human, back when everyone else was still alive, when I was still alive, like nothing had changed. And you," Damon softly wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheeks away, listening to her soothing voice as she kept speaking. "You managed to make me believe in myself again. You didn't give up on me, and you didn't judge. Despite of everything that has happened, you were still able to look at me the same way and for that, I couldn't be more grateful."

Damon leaned his forehead against her, breathing slowly. "I could never look at you in any other way, Elena."

Her eyes locked with his and then gazed down to his wet lips. She felt the strong desire to conquer the last few centimetres that were lingering between them and to press her lips fiercely against his. She gulped, not once taking her eyes away from his lips, desperately in need to feel his touch as she hesitantly leaned forward.

Damon's grip tightened around her waist as he pulled her feminine body gently against his, his lips seeking for the warmth of hers. "Elena…"

"Hhm?" she mumbled distractedly before her lips met his in a passionate kiss.

Her arms went around his neck, trying to pull him even closer than he already was as she lost herself in his welcoming taste. Their tongues found themselves in a heated battle with each other, their bodies pressed together as their lips melted into each other. His hands went up to her cheek, carefully stroking it as he trailed kisses down her neck, completely forgetting where they were.

"Da-Damon," Elena breathed heavily. "Grill… People, they ca-can see us."

Damon stopped kissing her neck and slowly moved his lips up to her face again, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness as she gave him a soft smile. Stroking her cheek lightly, he leaned down to press a lasting kiss on her lips.

"Maybe we should go home," he murmured. "I'm sure your brother is already waiting for you."

Elena groaned. "I guess you're right."

"Come on, pouty lips," he chuckled, taking her hand in his. "Lighten up. It's Christmas. Wasn't that what this whole day was about?"

"Wait, you didn't just want to find a way to get into my bed?" Elena grinned.

"Well now that you're mentioning it…"

She rolled her eyes, pressing a kiss against his lips. "Merry Christmas, Damon."

"Merry Christmas, Elena."

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"_You want to know what I think? I don't think I've ever seen you more alive."_

- Damon Salvatore.

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**A/N: Merry Christmas, y'all! I hope you enjoyed a few good days with your families and got loads of presents! I did! A big thanks goes out as always to my BETA Molly for looking over this for me. Hope you liked it!**

**Ps. For those of you who are patiently waiting for an update on GYH, I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible. Everything has been kinda hectic lately with school and when my holidays finally had started, I was sick in bed and had no energy to move at all anymore. But I'll do my best!**

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**Twitter - PureHeaart**

**LJ - pureheart151**

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**Reviews are love!**


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